South Africa’s unemployment rate hit 29% in the second quarter of
2019, an increase of 1.4 percentage points compared with the first
quarter. The number of unemployed persons in the country has
increased by 455 000 to 6.7m over the same period. This is
according to the results of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey,
released by Stats SA on July 31.
Despite this, tourism as a sector is often overlooked as being key
to transforming South Africa’s economy. “Tourism is often
misunderstood and underrated, both as an intrinsic sector with its
own potential and as a lever for economic growth,” says Gillian
Saunders, Tourism and Hospitality Adviser. She says this is
because of the multi-faceted nature of tourism, which makes it
harder to appreciate and quantify as a sector.
Saunders says it is worth keeping in mind that tourism is an
export sector. “Tourism’s greatest areas of potential growth are
in exports, and in bringing in more, higher spending overseas and
African air tourists with their forex spending. Tourism imports
high spending customers,” she says.
Tourism is also an ‘apex’ sector, Saunders says, with a long and
deep supply chain. This allows it to stimulate economic activity
in other sectors, such as manufacturing and agriculture. “Think of
buses, cars, linen and towels, crockery and cutlery etc. Just
imagine how many chickens and eggs Sun City consumes in a year. If
you want to stimulate demand in manufacturing and agriculture, and
other industries such as finance, marketing, retail, or logistics,
tourism is your industry.”
According to Saunders, almost one additional rand of value is

added to the rest of the economy for each rand of tourism direct
spend. And for every direct job supported in tourism, an
additional 1.1 jobs are supported in other sectors of the economy.
She also points out that, not only does tourism bring in foreign
exchange and stimulate other sectors, but it is an employment-
intense industry. She says while the industry must embrace the
digital and shared economies, it will remain a people-intensive
industry and a high employer. “Tourism employs people across the
skill levels and, even better, across the country, often in rural
areas.” Tourism is also a high employer of women and young people,
at 70% and 60% of tourism employment respectively falling into
these two demographics.
The tourism industry also supports high levels of indirect
employment. Saunders says: “In total, 1.53 million jobs are
supported by tourism currently; some 726 000 direct and more than
half, at around 800 000, through the multiplier effect.”
Saunders says if South Africa reaches the target of 21 million
arrivals in 2030, tourism will support in the order of two million
more jobs in total throughout the economy.
“Tourism is an amazing industry. It is one in which you can still
enter unskilled at the bottom, and make it to the top. There are
many stories of cleaners, rangers, bar staff, and the like making
it to lodge owner, hotel general manager, restaurant owner etc.
Motivated people can make it to the top with no formal
qualifications,” she concluded.
www.samigration.com V.2932

One of the highlighted topics: Critical Skills Visa.

- Key Insight: Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast track to working in South Afr...
- This matter relates to critical skills visa and its broader implications.
- Individuals are advised to seek professional guidance.

Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast trac V.6139
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One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, became a victim of identity theft in 2012 when fraudulent transactions occurred, using her personal details.

-The Pretoria High Court found that the department of home affairs had violated constitutional rights without due process.
-Only half of Lawyers for Human Rights` test group has been unblocked, while 385 000 identities remain blocked nationwide.
-LHR appeals extension, urges affected people to seek help now.

Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) are intensifying pressure on the department of home affairs over the national ID-blocking crisis, accusing the state of acting too slowly to unblock qualifying individuals despite a landmark court ruling.

In January last year, the Pretoria High Court found that the department`s practice of blocking IDs without due process was unlawful and unconstitutional. One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, a Swati citizen and South African permanent resident since 1998, fell victim to identity theft in 2012 when fraudsters used her personal details.

 V.6133
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6128
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6129
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A Washington state mother and her 6-year-old son have been released after spending more than three weeks in US immigration detention due to a brief trip to Canada and a small paperwork mistake, her attorney told CNN on Saturday.

Sarah Shaw, a New Zealand citizen who has lived legally in the US since she arrived in 2021, was detained at the Blaine, Washington, Customs and Border Protection checkpoint when returning home after dropping her two oldest children off at the Vancouver airport for a flight to visit their grandparents in New Zealand. Shaw, 33, chose the flight out of Vancouver because it was direct and she didn`t want her children to have to navigate a layover alone, her attorney Minda Thorward, told CNN.

 V.6130
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On 22 July 2025, the Gauteng High Court dismissed Sitrusrand Boerdery`s review of the Department of Employment and Labour`s refusal to issue a Working Conditions and Salary Benchmarking Certificate, an essential precondition for obtaining corporate visas under the Immigration Act.

Acting Judge Kekana AJ held that the Department`s decision was lawful, rational and procedurally fair. This judgment illustrates how businesses can - and must - structure their corporate visa applications to meet statutory requirements, and how legal practitioners should prepare robust review challenges when administrative authorities decline to recommend foreign-work permits.

 V.6131
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The United States could forfeit an estimated 9.4 billion dollars in visitor spending over the next three years following the introduction of a new 250 dollars `visa integrity fee,` according to industry groups, who warn the policy risks undermining tourism and costing thousands of jobs.
The United States’ decision to introduce a 250 dollars `visa integrity fee` on international visitors has triggered sharp criticism from the global tourism industry, with officials warning that the measure could deter millions of travellers and cost the U.S. economy billions.
The 250dollar `visa integrity fee,` part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed on July 4, 2025, will take effect later this year. According to immigration law firm Envoy Global, it applies to all nonimmigrant visa holders which include students, tourists, temporary workers, and business visitors particularly from African countries. V.6132
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6127
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1. Right to Legal Representation•You have the right to consult with a legal representative.•Contact an immigration practitioner, legal aid clinic, or attorney urgently.•Do not sign any documents without understanding them fully. 2. Section 34 of the Immigration Act•You must be brought to court with 48 hours to confirm arrest but you can remain locked up very long as courts figure out what to do with you •If you`re found to be illegally in South Africa, you may be detained for up to 30 days (extendable by a magistrate) pending deportation.•BUT this cannot happen arbitrarily. You must be informed of your rights, and Home Affairs must follow due process.- becomes a nightmare , you could lose your job , business , place to stay V.6121
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Driving for Bolt, Uber, Mr D, or Checkers Sixty60?If you`re undocumented, you`re risking more than just your income.The Risks if You`re Not Legal: - Vehicle impoundment - Heavy fines - Arrest & deportation - Permanent bans from working in SA V.6122
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